Week One: Rheingold and Rosenberg

While reading Scott Rosenberg’s, “In the Context of Web Context: How to Check Out Any Web Page”, I realized that while some of his basic principles for evaluating an unknown source come instinctively to me now, there are so many other ways to verify a web page that I have not considered. Previously, if there was even a hint of suspicion that a site may not be credible, I would avoid it and move on—this may be a safe option, but I’m aware that I’m potentially missing out on some interesting and valuable information.

One piece of advice that Rosenberg offers that does not come as a surprise is to look at the top level domain. He gives the example that sites that carry the domain .info are almost guaranteed to be spammy. I remember that when I first learned about internet research as a child, I was taught to look for .edu, .gov, and .org. These were considered to be safer than .com sites. Yet I never thought to look up the domain owner’s info or consider how old or new the registration is.

Rosenberg also mentions that you can Goggle the URL. I have done this many times, and I have also Googled links to find out if they are legit or if they could possibly be viruses. This practice has definitely become instinctive now—if something looks questionable, investigate.

The use of ads is mentioned by Rosenberg and also by Rheigngold in the second chapter of Net Smart. Looking back, I have certainly judged a site based on its use of ads, but Rheigngold suggests that users “take the Web site’s design into account, but don’t count on it”. Professional design is simply one clue as to if the site is credible. Yet, as Rosenberg points out, if the site is inundated with ads, it might be spammy.

In the end, it all come down to the idea of crap-detection—of learning to, as Neil Postman says, “distinguish useful talk from bullshit”. Rheigngold notes that internet fluency, experience, and engagement are important factors in crap-detection. This made me think of my mom and her general distrust of the internet. She avoids information derived from the internet because she doesn’t have the experience necessary in order to sort through the crap. But instead of becoming more fluent and experienced, she simply asks me to look things up for her.

My biggest take away this week came from Rheigngold, who said, “Continue to pursue your investigation after you find an answer”. Don’t just accept the first piece of evidence that you come across.